Love Island’s Molly Smith and Tom Clare on their wedding plans and NearlyWeds podcast

From Love Island to real life: Molly and Tom’s relationship timeline

Second time lucky was the reality for Molly and Tom.

They entered the Love Island villa in separate series (her in series six and him in series nine) and it wasn’t until they returned for the first-ever Love Island: All Stars series two years ago that this true love match had a chance to flourish. Their relationship quickly became a fan favourite and ultimately saw them win.

NearlyWeds podcast: Molly Smith and Tom Clare step into hosting

Now their good luck continues, as the recently engaged pair follow in the footsteps of new parents Sophie Habboo and Jamie Laing, stepping in to host their own NearlyWeds podcast series.

Molly and Tom’s Mallorca wedding plans

The duo aren’t wasting any time – their Mallorca wedding is officially set for 22nd August this year. With less than five months to go, there’s a lot of planning to do yet, but luckily the pair were happy to squeeze us in to chat all things proposals, podcasts and planning.

Keep reading for the full interview and tune in to the podcast every Tuesday to join the nearly weds on their planning journey.

You both told the story of your engagement on the first podcast episode – Tom, was there one specific part of the plan you were most nervous about? 

Molly: "That I was going to say no (both laugh)."

Tom: "I'm a perfectionist, so I just wanted everything to go right. And normally Molly knows something before I even know it myself. So I knew I had to really go all out and test my limits and make sure she didn't find out anything.

"When we were in the hotel, I used to say I was going to get us a coffee and actually I'd be meeting with the hotel, and I'd be like, oh my God, she's going to know where I am, I need to go back."

Molly: "He actually came back with this elaborate story one time. He went to go to the gym, so I'm in our room vlogging away and doing my makeup and he comes back up to the room after –"

Tom: "Ah I was ages –

Molly: "You were ages, weren't you? And he actually didn't have time to go to the gym because he said that when he went down to reception he bumped into one of the staff members who was helping him organise and stuff. So when he came back up he said that his AirPod, one of them had rolled under the machine and he had to pick it all up and move it to get the AirPod back, and I'm there like, oh my god, no way!"

Tom: "No, I actually – so basically I was having to sort loads of stuff out with the violinist and everything like that, so I came back up and I knew I didn't have much time. So I gave one of the hotel people my headphones. I was like right, I'm going to go up and say I've lost my headphones. So I went up and I said to Molly, oh no, I can't find my headphones, I'm going to have to go back down. So I was like right, this buys me another 15 minutes.

Molly: "Oh I don’t even remember that."

Tom: "Luckily she was so oblivious, so yeah, everything went perfectly."

And you've set a date – amazing first step! It's interesting to hear a date set before the venue is chosen, does 22nd August have a specific meaning to you both?

Tom: "I love that number."

Molly: "Yeah you do don't you. And both the venues that we were torn between (in Mallorca and the south of France) had that availability on that date, which is really strange.

"But for some reason the 22nd of August… I can't remember why it was so stand-out...

"We just didn't want any other date once we realised. We were like oh no, it has to be that date."

Tom: "It's actually been a bit of a lucky number in my family for years."

If you could each pick one thing, one non-negotiable, for the big day what would it be?

Tom: "One non-negotiable for the day…what a question, ooh… Everyone has to smile! (both laugh) No, I'm kidding."

Molly: "Imagine"

Tom: "If you're frowning you're kicked out. Hmm one non-negotiable… I don't know. What would you say?"

Molly: "One non-negotiable for me would be… you have to dance. I don't want to see people sat down."

Tom: "What if they’re older?"

Molly: "No, get up (laughs)"

Tom: "(laughs) Oh my god"

Molly: "No, come on, you can move your hips, like I want everyone to be on that much of a good vibe that no one's…

"I don't want it to be a boring wedding."

Tom: "It won’t be."

Molly: "I want it to be fun. So, non-negotiable, you have to have fun."

Have either of you started looking at what you might wear on the day, any browsing around for dresses or suits?

Molly: "Well I've been browsing a little bit. I went to a national wedding show with my mum and there were wedding dresses there. So I've started. I look at a lot on Instagram and screenshot pictures and save stuff. Well (to Tom) you’ve not even started looking yet..."

Tom: "No, I'm actually going soon with our stylist that we use. He's absolutely crazy, but I'm going soon with him to have a look and get a mix of sizing and colours and all that stuff."

Molly: "I'm panicking a little bit though because it's getting closer and closer and I don't really have much time to be finding a dress, get it all altered, and god knows what.

"But on the other hand, I'm quite an indecisive person and once I make a decision… I'm just glad that I don't have much time to change my mind."

Do you intend to choose your wedding bands together? Do you each know what you'd want them to look like?

Tom: "I have actually had a little thought about mine – I think we would go together."

Molly: "Yeah, definitely. I think it’d be nice to have something which links in some way, you know... (laughs) He's looking at me like 'sorry, we're matching now?'."

(To Tom) "I think you've got more of an idea of what you want. I'm finding it a bit difficult because my engagement ring is a pear shaped, so I feel like because it dips I'm going to struggle a bit more to find something that fits next to it."

We can't help but think Scottish presenter and Love Island legend Iain Stirling has amazing qualities for a celebrant – any chance he might make an appearance?

Tom: "Do you know what, we actually spoke to him the other month about it. He said he's done it before for some of his friends."

Molly: "Yeah! We did speak to him about it and said it would actually be insane because he was obviously the narrator on the show when we met."

Tom: "Yeah, imagine that! I just said you better not say anything bad while I’m walking down the aisle (laughs)."

Molly: (in Iain Stirling's voice) "Here comes Tom…”

Are you the type to follow more traditional vows or do you think would you like to write your own?

Tom: "Ooh, I do like the traditional, but I think adding something extra of your own is pretty cool. Not like a massive paragraph, but just something would be nice."

Molly: "Yeah, even if it's just a few words, I just think it would be really nice to have us say something that’s not just the traditional."

Tom: "Yeah, definitely."

Molly: "If he doesn't cry though, that'll be a problem. (laughs)"

Tom: "Aw it's just such a massive thing isn't it – it’s like Christmas on steroids."

Molly: "(laughs) When we did the promo shoot for the NearlyWeds podcast we had to enact getting married and walking down the aisle and I remember when I was walking down, the first time I was doing it and they were filming it, Tom looked like –"

Tom:

"I got goosebumps, genuinely."

Molly: "– so, someone from the audience was like, 'Tom are you welling up?' And then by the 2nd/3rd time, obviously we had to do it a few times, oh he wouldn’t even look in my direction, he was like scouring the room, just looking around (laughs)."

Tom: "No, like the first time I was like 'wow, this is mad'."

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Would you say podcasting has come easily to you both? Is there anything specific you’re really enjoying about the process?

Tom: "We've been on a lot of podcasts before but I think being on one and actually hosting your own is a completely different ballgame."

Molly: "Totally different."

Tom: "But obviously, on NearlyWeds, it is just me and Molly having a chat."

Molly: "I think that’s what’s so lovely about it, is that we actually just sit there and are just chatting away about the whole wedding and it’s nice to get that time to discuss everything and lay it all out on the table. It really feels like we’re just home on our sofa chatting.

"So it is really lovely, but actually hosting it, rather than being a guest who can just come on and relax a little bit, it has been quite different." 

Tom: "I feel like the nicest thing is that I've seen a few people saying 'ah wow, what you’re saying is so relatable, which is so nice, because people think 'oh they've been on Love Island, whatever, they’re not relatable'...

"But we are just normal people who are actually going through this journey and learning about planning a wedding – just like everyone else – so for people to say 'wow I can relate to that' has been really nice."

As the original NearlyWeds hosts, what's the best piece of planning or wedding advice Sophie Habboo and Jamie Laing have given you?

Tom: "I think they said just roll with it, enjoy it and know that everyone’s story is different. You’ll find little bumps in the road but you’ll overcome them, so essentially just go for it, and don’t look back."

Molly: "I think that’s one of the main things as well, just to be able to soak it all up. I actually listened to Jamie and Sophie’s NearlyWeds podcast. My friend and I used to listen to it on the way to the gym in the morning and then discuss it when we got there. 

"The advice was just to be as open and say everything we can, because we need as much help as we can get, and hopefully it’s helpful to other people as well. It’s just so nice to know that we now have this little time capsule that we can look back on and watch back –

Tom: "with our grandkids!"

Molly: "– like we might forget things, but now we’ve always got this to look back on it all."

Tom: "It’s amazing, cause at the end of the day that’s all you’ve got when you get old, you’ve only got memories, you haven’t got any materialistic stuff, so to watch that back – I don’t know, in 30 years time, on our anniversary –

Molly: "You’ll always remember the final put-together final result, but you’re more likely to forget the small bumps or hiccups along the way, so I think it’s good to have them filmed, and we’ll be like, oh my god, you wanted artificial flowers! (laughs)"

Tom: "Ah I’m sorry, I’ve never gone to a wedding and thought wow, those flowers smell amazing..."

Molly: "Aw whatever, you will when you go to ours."

Tom: "Okay, okay, I trust you."

Lastly, the whole reason we obviously plan weddings is in order to get married – what excites you the most about being married to one another?

Tom: "I think just, it’s that token, that shows that ultimate commitment –

Molly: "We become a family unit –

Tom: "Yeah, like you said, a family unit, I think it’s just magical."

Molly: "I asked him the other day, 'Would you change my name in your phone to ‘Wife’ when we’re married? (laughs)"

Tom: "No, it’d be Mrs Clare."

Molly: "Oh, there we go then."

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Molly, does that mean you're planning on taking Tom's last name?

Molly: "Yeah, I think I would –"

Tom: "You think?"

Molly: "(laughs) Someone actually asked me the other day, whether I would keep mine and be like Smith-Clare or Clare-Smith, like merge them together."

Tom: "Aw we actually haven’t had this conversation."

Molly: "No, but I think it’s important."

Tom:

"It’s got a good ring to it, ‘Molly Clare’"

Molly: "Yeah, it has and well it’s just nice – Smith is so common."

Tom: "Aw no, honestly, if you actually were like ‘No..’ to taking my last name, I’d be like, ‘Okay, fair’– I’d probably cry (both laugh) – no but honestly, I really would love you to have it."

Molly: "And I think if we then have kids in the future, then we all have the same name."

Tom: "Aw yeah, that's our unit."

FAQs

Who is hosting the NearlyWeds podcast?

Molly Smith and Tom Clare, winners of 2024's Love Island: All Stars, are the new hosts of NearlyWeds podcast. The pair are following the original wedding planning couple, Sophie Habboo and Jamie Laing, in a new iteration under the JamPot Productions franchise. 

What is the NearlyWeds podcast about?

NearlyWeds with Molly & Tom will take listeners behind the scenes of the pair's wedding journey, sharing the honest details of everything from guest list politics to hen and stag do planning. Molly and Tom will also be reading listener stories and answering listener questions along the way.

When does the NearlyWeds podcast come out?

New episodes are released weekly, every Tuesday at 7am. Episodes are available to listen to on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, as well as watch on YouTube.

When are Molly Smith and Tom Clare getting married?

Molly Smith and Tom Clare are getting married on Saturday 22nd August, 2026.

Where are Molly Smith and Tom Clare getting married?

Molly and Tom revealed in their second NearlyWeds podcast that they are getting married abroad in Mallorca. They haven't publicly shared the name or specific location of the venue.